Macro Calculator
Get your daily calorie target and the grams of protein, carbs and fat that hit it, split across your meals, for fat loss, maintenance or muscle gain.
Percent of calories from protein / carbs / fat.
- Protein (30%)
- 170 g · 679 kcal
- Carbs (35%)
- 198 g · 792 kcal
- Fat (35%)
- 88 g · 792 kcal
- BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor)
- 1,783 kcal
- Maintenance (TDEE × 1.55)
- 2,763 kcal
- Protein per lb of bodyweight
- 0.94 g/lb (2.1 g/kg)
| Meal | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meal 1 | 754 | 57 g | 66 g | 29 g |
| Meal 2 | 754 | 57 g | 66 g | 29 g |
| Meal 3 | 754 | 57 g | 66 g | 29 g |
| Daily total | 2,263 | 170 g | 198 g | 88 g |
Protein check: 170 g is 0.94 g per lb of your 180 lb bodyweight. That is in the 0.7–1.0 g per lb range most sports-nutrition reviews recommend for people who train.
How this was calculated
- BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor) = 10 × 81.6 + 6.25 × 177.8 − 5 × 30 + 5 = 1,783 kcal/day.
- Maintenance (TDEE) = 1,783 × 1.55 (activity) = 2,763 kcal/day.
- Goal adjustment: −500 kcal/day (1 lb per week × 3,500 kcal ÷ 7 days), giving 2,263 kcal/day.
- Protein: 2,263 × 30% ÷ 4 kcal/g = 170 g.
- Carbs: 2,263 × 35% ÷ 4 kcal/g = 198 g.
- Fat: 2,263 × 35% ÷ 9 kcal/g = 88 g.
- Per meal (3 meals): 754 kcal, 57 g protein, 66 g carbs, 29 g fat.
Calorie and macro targets are estimates from population formulas; adjust after two or three weeks of real results. This is general information, not medical or dietary advice.
How this macro calculator works
"Macros" are the three macronutrients that carry calories: protein and carbohydrates at 4 calories per gram, and fat at 9. A macro calculator does two jobs. First it works out how many calories you should eat each day, then it divides those calories into grams of each macro according to the split you choose. The calorie part starts with your basal metabolic rate from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, multiplies it by an activity factor to get your maintenance calories (TDEE), and then adds or subtracts for your goal: a pound of body fat holds roughly 3,500 calories, so losing one pound a week means eating about 500 calories a day below maintenance, and half a pound a week means 250.
The grams part is simple division. If your target is 2,000 calories and your split is 30% protein, that is 600 calories of protein, and 600 ÷ 4 = 150 grams. Fat at 35% is 700 calories, and 700 ÷ 9 = 78 grams. The presets are common starting points: balanced (30/35/35) suits most people, high protein (40/30/30) is popular when cutting, low carb (35/25/40) for people who feel better with fewer carbs, and keto (25/5/70) keeps carbs under about 30 grams so the body runs on ketones. The custom sliders let you set any split that totals 100%.
Worked example
Take a 30-year-old man, 5'11" and 176 lb, moderately active, who wants to lose a pound a week on the balanced preset. His BMR is 1,780 calories, maintenance is 1,780 × 1.55 = 2,759, and the goal takes off 500, leaving 2,259 calories. Protein: 2,259 × 30% ÷ 4 = 169 g. Carbs: 2,259 × 35% ÷ 4 = 198 g. Fat: 2,259 × 35% ÷ 9 = 88 g. Over four meals that is about 565 calories, 42 g protein, 49 g carbs and 22 g fat per meal. His protein works out to 0.96 g per pound of bodyweight, squarely in the 0.7 to 1.0 g/lb range that sports-nutrition reviews recommend for people who train while dieting.
Common mistakes
- Cutting too hard. The calculator will not go below 1,200 calories for women or 1,500 for men and flags when your goal hits that floor. Faster loss than about 1% of bodyweight a week usually costs muscle and is hard to stick to.
- Counting net carbs on a label as total carbs. The grams here are total carbohydrate. If you track net carbs (total minus fiber), your numbers will look lower than the target.
- Hitting calories but not protein. Protein is the macro that matters most for keeping muscle and feeling full. If you miss a target, let it be fat or carbs, not protein.
- Overstating your activity. A desk job with three gym sessions is "lightly active". Picking "very active" adds 500 or more phantom calories.
When the numbers are misleading
Every figure here comes from a formula fitted to population averages, so your true maintenance can be 10% or more away from the estimate. The 3,500-calorie rule is also a simplification: real weight loss slows as you get lighter and your metabolism adapts, so a 500-calorie deficit rarely delivers exactly a pound a week after the first month. Use the targets for two or three weeks, weigh yourself daily and average the week, then move calories by 100 to 200 at a time. If you are pregnant, under 18, have diabetes, kidney disease or a history of disordered eating, work out targets with a clinician rather than a calculator.
Frequently asked questions
›How are macros calculated?
Daily calories = BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor) × activity factor, plus or minus 250–500 kcal for your goal. Each macro's grams = calories × its percentage ÷ 4 for protein and carbs or ÷ 9 for fat. At 2,000 kcal and 30% protein, that is 150 g of protein.
›What is a good macro split for weight loss?
A high-protein split such as 40% protein, 30% carbs, 30% fat works well for most people because protein preserves muscle and keeps you full in a deficit. The balanced 30/35/35 preset is a fine alternative if you train hard.
›How much protein should I eat per pound of bodyweight?
Reviews of resistance-training studies recommend 0.7–1.0 g of protein per pound of bodyweight (1.6–2.2 g/kg) when dieting or building muscle. The US RDA of 0.36 g/lb is a minimum to prevent deficiency, not an optimum.
›What are keto macros?
Roughly 70% of calories from fat, 25% from protein and 5% from carbs, which keeps carbohydrate under about 20–30 g a day. At 1,800 kcal that is 140 g fat, 113 g protein and 23 g carbs.
›Why won't the calculator go below 1,200 or 1,500 calories?
Diets under 1,200 kcal for women or 1,500 kcal for men are hard to make nutritionally complete without medical supervision. If your goal hits that floor, the calculator flags it; choose a slower rate of loss or add activity.
›How many calories is a pound of fat?
About 3,500 kcal, so a 500 kcal daily deficit is roughly one pound a week and 250 kcal is half a pound. Real losses slow over time as your weight and metabolism change.